Greetings! Welcome to CricketCountry’s live cricket blog for the fourth One-Day International (ODI) between India and South Africa at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai, on Thursday. I am Suvajit Mustafi, and I will bring you over-by-over updates of the match. Having levelled the series at Indore, India went on to hand South Africa the advantage by losing the third ODI. The Proteas now lead the series 2-1, and another win at Chennai will award them the ODI series. If they beat India at home, they will be the first team in a long time to do so in ODIs. India will be spoiling for a fight though, and will want to come back strongly to stay alive in the series. LIVE CRICKET SCORECARD: India vs South Africa 2015, 4th ODI at Chennai

The series is level at 2-2 as we head to Mumbai for the decider. These weren’t good conditions to bat but AB de Villiers produced another gem to keep South Africa in the game till very late. The Chennai crowd got their value for tickets, they saw two of great batsmen scoring their ton and that too with a six — first Kohli and then AB. Well, that’s fitting tribute to Virender Sehwag, who loved doing that. Kohli, with 23 ODI hundreds has surpassed Sourav Ganguly’s tally of 22. Deservingly, Kohli was adjudged the Man of the Match for his 138 from 140-balls. Read Shiamak Unwalla’s match report here: India overcome AB de Villiers, beat South Africa by 35 runs in 4th ODI at Chennai to draw series 2-2

Live Cricket Score: South Africa 260/9 | Overs 49 | BATSMEN: Kagiso Rabada 6 (6), Imran Tahir 2 (7) | 0, wide, 0, 0, 0, 2, 0. Bhuvneshwar finishes his quota with 10-0-68-3.He was expensive but bowled well in his last spell — picking up AB and two wickets in his previous over. He has played his part but perhaps will look to be more accurate at the star.

Live Cricket Score: South Africa 251/9 | Overs 47 | BATSMEN: Kagiso Rabada 1 (1), Imran Tahir 0 (0) | Phangiso gets a boundary in the second ball. Bhuvi has been very expensive but he got the all important wicket of AB. Bhuvi gets another now. Phangiso looks to pull, gets an edge and Akshar takes a running catch at short third-man. Now Bhuvi picks his Sunrisers Hyderabad teammate Steyn — again with a short ball. Steyn pulls and is caught by Rahane at deep square leg. Bhuvi gets two in the over!

Live Cricket Score: South Africa 239/7 | Overs 45 | BATSMEN: Aaron Phangiso 0 (2), Dale Steyn 5 (2) | Two quick twos in the first two balls. AB is turning it on over here. Oh well, that’s it! AB is gone. Short ball from Bhuvi and AB gets an edge as the ball safely lands into Dhoni’s gloves. What a knock! This is India’s match now. Steyn is the new man in and gets the last ball to the boundary.OUT: AB de Villiers c MS Dhoni b Bhuvneshwar Kumar 112 (107)

Live Cricket Score: South Africa 224/6 | Overs 43 | BATSMEN: AB de Villiers 104 (100), Aaron Phangiso 8 (13) | AB hammers that straight down the ground to bring up his 22nd ODI hundred. This man is capable of pulling off anything. What a player! 10 from the over.

Live Cricket Score: South Africa 214/6 | Overs 42 | BATSMEN: AB de Villiers 97 (97), Aaron Phangiso 5 (10) | Harbhajan bowling another good over. What a day he has had! Four from the first five and he ends his spell with a six. AB moves to 97 with that sailing in the stands over mid-wicket. Harbhajan finishes his spell 10-0-50-2

Live Cricket Score: South Africa 200/6 | Overs 40 | BATSMEN: AB de Villiers 87 (92), Aaron Phangiso 1 (3) | Good over for South Africa. 10 runs comes from it. He hits Harbhajan straight down for a boundary and is cramping up.

Live Cricket Score: South Africa 190/6 | Overs 39 | BATSMEN: AB de Villiers 79 (87), Aaron Phangiso 0 (2) | Morris survives the leg before appeal but runs himself out. Five from that over. Phangiso is the new man in.OUT! C Morris run out 9 (18)

Live Cricket Score: South Africa 168/5 | Overs 35 | BATSMEN: AB de Villiers 66 (74), Chris Morris 1 (9) | Bhuvi after the expensive over continues. AB take a single from the first ball. This is good stuff from Bhuvi. Has made it up for the expensive last over with four consecutive dot balls. Morris gets a single from the last ball.

Live Cricket Score: South Africa 166/5 | Overs 34 | BATSMEN: AB de Villiers 65 (73), Chris Morris 0 (4) | Two boundaries and a single off the Mishra over. AB is turning it on. It will probably be one of the greatest ODI innings if he can pull it off!

Live Cricket Score: South Africa 157/5 | Overs 33 | BATSMEN: AB de Villiers 56 (69), Chris Morris 0 (2) | Brilliant over for South Africa. 13 from it. De Villiers smacks Bhuvi for three fours — one a pull, one through the off-side and the last one with an inside edge. The Master gets to his fifty!

Live Cricket Score: South Africa 144/5 | Overs 32 | BATSMEN: AB de Villiers 43 (64), Chris Morris 0 (1) | What an over! It’s a wicket maiden at this stage of the game. South Africans have struggled against Indian spin and now Mishra joins the wicket-takers’ club. Behardien tried to sweep a straight ball, missed it and he’s caught plumb. OUT! F Behardien lbw b A Mishra 22 (38)

Live Cricket Score: South Africa 144/4 | Overs 31 | BATSMEN: AB de Villiers 43 (64), Farhaan Behardien 22 (33) | Another good over from Mohit. Only three from it. Behardien has to ensure that singles are on. They are putting themselves under pressure.

Live Cricket Score: South Africa 141/4 | Overs 30 | BATSMEN: AB de Villiers 42 (62), Farhaan Behardien 20 (29)| Mishra continues. AB living dangerously. He was almost caught and then run out in the first ball. Bhuvneshwar couldn’t judge it well and then followed up with a wayward throw. Four from the over. South Africa need 159 from 20 overs.

Live Cricket Score: South Africa 137/4 | Overs 29 | BATSMEN: AB de Villiers 41 (59), Farhaan Behardien 17 (26) | Mohit to continue. He bowls an over with five dots balls. Pressure building on the visitors. The required run-rate has almost reached 7.8. Can de Villiers pull it off?

Live Cricket Score: South Africa 136/4 | Overs 28 | BATSMEN: AB de Villiers 40 (56), Farhaan Behardien 17 (23) | Mishra bowls a two-run over. He was expensive in his first three overs, going for 19 runs. But de Villiers is now looking dangerous. India will need have to find a way to get him out.

Live Cricket Score: South Africa 104/4 | Overs 21 | BATSMEN: AB de Villiers 15 (28), Farhaan Behardien 9 (9) That very well could have been the fifth wicket. Behardien edges one and it goes between the keeper and Raina at first slip. Akshar will consider himself unlucky.

Live Cricket Score: South Africa 88/4 | Overs 18 | BATSMEN: AB de Villiers 9 (19), Farhaan Behardien 0 (0) | Three dot balls. Miller sweeps one for a boundary. A much needed one for South Africa. Another dot ball and now Harbhajan gets the wicket here! The crowd joins the Indian team in the appeal, and Umpire S Ravi has given it. OUT! D Miller lbw b Harbhajan Singh 6 (12)

Live Cricket Score: South Africa 84/3 | Overs 17 | BATSMEN: AB de Villiers 9 (19), David Miller 2 (6) | Another brilliant over. Spin is doing the trick for India. Akshar only give a run in that over and South Africa are under some serious pressure. The run-rate has come under 5 an over now.

Live Cricket Score: South Africa 79/3 | Overs 15 | BATSMEN: AB de Villiers 6 (11), David Miller 0 (2) | Now Akshar strikes. Du Plessis is caught behind. He doesn’t look happy and there is no DRS here. The batsman doesn’t look happy at all but replays show there was sound. Even the snicko confirms the nick. Five from that over but there goes another wicket and David Miller, who opened at Rajkot, is out in the middle. OUT! F du Plessis c MS Dhoni b A Patel 17 (34)

Live Cricket Score: South Africa 74/2 | Overs 14 | BATSMEN: AB de Villiers 5 (10), Faf du Plessis 13 (31) | Two from the first four balls off Harbhajan. It’s turning out to be another good over. OUCH! De Villiers has hit that straight to his partner du Plessis’ elbow. That’s a painful blow and physio is out and DRINKS will be taken. Ultimately, it’s three from the over.

Live Cricket Score: South Africa 71/2 | Overs 13 | BATSMEN: AB de Villiers 3 (6), Faf du Plessis 12 (29) | The drying of runs have enforced a wicket and Akshar continues to do a good job. Another good over, only three from it. India are managing to sneak through some precious overs.

Live Cricket Score: South Africa 68/2 | Overs 12 | BATSMEN: AB de Villiers 1 (1), Faf du Plessis 11 (28) | Good stuff from Harbhajan, Get’s de Kock in the third delivery with a nicely tossed up ball, making him play as he nicks it to Rahane at slip. Another good over, only three from it and the big wicket. Out comes AB de Villiers and gets a single off the first ball. OUT! Q de Kock c A Rahane b Harbhajan Singh 43 (35)

Live Cricket Score: South Africa 65/1 | Overs 11 | BATSMEN: Quinton de Kock 42 (33), Faf du Plessis 10 (25) | Akshar comes in and it’s spin from both ends. Only two from the over and the spinners have put the brakes on scoring. India have managed to pull the run-rate under six.

Live Cricket Score: South Africa 63/1 | Overs 10 | BATSMEN: Quinton de Kock 41 (32), Faf du Plessis 9 (20) | Harbhajan is brought into the attack and Du Plessis isn’t looking comfortable against him. Four dots, a single and another dot. Good start by Harbhajan!

Live Cricket Score: South Africa 62/1 | Overs 9 | BATSMEN: Quinton de Kock 41 (30), Faf du Plessis 8 (16) | Du Plessis to take strike. Dot, dot, dot, single, dot and the last ball goes for a six! He pulls it over the square-leg boundary for a maximum. An over that had conceded four dot balls goes for seven.

Live Cricket Score: South Africa 55/1 | Overs 8 | BATSMEN: Quinton de Kock 35 (28), Faf du Plessis 7 (12) | Another good over for South Africa as 11 come off it. A top edge from du Plessis goes over Dhoni’s head for four! The fourth ball of the over from Mohit is dispatched to the fence by de Kock.

Live Cricket Score: South Africa 44/1 | Overs 7 | BATSMEN: Quinton de Kock 29 (24), Faf du Plessis 2 (10) | After a 15-run over, all Bhuvi gives is a wide and a single. What’s concerning is India are into their seventh over and have already conceded six extras!

Live Cricket Score: South Africa 42/1 | Overs 6 | BATSMEN: Quinton de Kock 29 (24), Faf du Plessis 1 (4) | Mohit picks the big wicket of Amla in the first ball of his third over. Amla pulls it straight to Dhawan at mid-wicket. De Kock ends the over with a boundary down the leg side. Six comes from the over

Live Cricket Score: South Africa 21/0 | Overs 4 | BATSMEN: Quinton de Kock 14 (18), Hashim Amla 4 (7) | Four dot balls and two singles, Mohit bowls a very good over as only two comes off it.

Live Cricket Score: South Africa 19/0 | Overs 3 | BATSMEN: Quinton de Kock 13 (15), Hashim Amla 3 (4) | Amla could have been run out on the third ball. There was a mix-up between the batsmen as Rohit dived to stop it. Only a direct hit was needed. Maybe that’s the luck Amla needed to come in form.

Live Cricket Score: South Africa 16/0 | Overs 2 | BATSMEN: Quinton de Kock 12 (12), Hashim Amla 1 (1) | Mohit Sharma gets the new ball from the other end. Not a good start, over-steps in the fifth-ball and de Kock dispatches the free hit through off-side for another boundary. Eight runs from this over too and there are already three extras bowled.

Live Cricket Score: South Africa 8/0 | Overs 1 | BATSMEN: Quinton de Kock 6 (6), Hashim Amla 0 (0) | It’s Amla back at his opening spot. Bhuvi starts with a wide. De Kock looking in a very good touch. He comes fresh from his hundred at Rajkot. He plays a beautiful shot bisecting the point and cover point for a boundary off the fourth ball. Good start for South Africa.

INNINGS BREAK: South Africa started it well as they got the back of Indian opener early but Virat Kohli brought up his 23rd ODI hundred to take India to a strong position. He shared two century stands, first with Ajinkya Rahane and then Suresh Raina. India at one point looked set for a score in excess of 320 but Kohli cramped up towards the end and a good bowling show from South Africa restricted the Indian side under 300. India need to win this one to stay alive in the series. Will they? Stay tuned as we will be back with South African chase. You can meanwhile, read Shiamak Unwalla’s innings report here: Virat Kohli’s 23rd ODI century leads India to 299 for 8 against South Africa in 4th match at Chennai

Live Cricket Score: India 299/8 | Overs 50 | BATSMAN: Akshar Patel 4 (4) |Steyn bowls the final over. Just four comes from it and he gets the wicket of Dhoni and runs out Bhuvneshwar in the final ball. At one stage it looked 325 was on the cards but South Africa have done well to restrict India under 300. Steyn ends with figures of 10-0-63-3. OUT! MS Dhoni c AB de Villiers b Steyn 15 (16), OUT! Bhuvneshwar Kumar run out 0 (1)

Live Cricket Score: India 295/6 | Overs 49 | BATSMEN: MS Dhoni 12 (13), A Patel 3 (2) | Rabada has bowled another good over with two wickets! Kohli tries to pull one down the leg-stump, gets an edge to de Kock. Harbhajan is bowled round the legs. This young guy has puled this one back for South Africa. He ends with 10-0-54-3

Live Cricket Score: India 290/4 | Overs 48 | BATSMEN: Virat Kohli 138 (139), MS Dhoni 11 (11) | Another very good over from the South Africans. Steyn has pulled it back. Kohli is struggling with cramps and the over goes five singles and a dot off the last ball. Good stuff!

Live Cricket Score: India 285/4 | Overs 47 | BATSMEN: Virat Kohli 136 (136), MS Dhoni 8 (8) | It’s once again Rabada vs Dhoni. Brilliant stuff from the young man once again. The over goes 1,1, 0, 1wd, 0,1, 0. He bowls three dot balls to two of the most dangerous ODI players and that too at the end of the innings. He bowls two of the dot balls to Dhoni. It’s been a good contest between Dhoni and Rabada this series.

Live Cricket Score: India 281/4 | Overs 46 | BATSMEN: Virat Kohli 135 (134), MS Dhoni 6 (4) | The Indian physio is out in the middle as there’s something wrong with Kohli’s wrist. He is not 100 percent out there. But that doesn’t stop him from belting the second ball from Tahir out of the park. Another straight one down the ground and that’s Kohli fifth maximum. He bowls a height no-ball and the free-hit accounts for a single. 11 comes from the 46th over.

Live Cricket Score: India 270/4 | Overs 45 | BATSMEN: Virat Kohli 127 (130), MS Dhoni 4 (1) | Steyn strikes in his eighth over! Raina pulls it straight to de Villiers at mid-wicket. Chennai erupts as Dhoni walks in. He pulls the final ball off the over for a boundary. Nine coming from that over. Can India get to 320? OUT! S Raina c AB de Villiers b D Steyn 53 (52).

Live Cricket Score: India 261/3 | Overs 44 | BATSMEN: Virat Kohli 126 (129), Suresh Raina 50 (48) | Second ball of the over, Raina once again in this series, mis-reads Tahir’s wrong one and top edges that and guess what, out of all the players, it’s de Villiers who has dropped it. Six from the over and Raina reaches to his fifty from the last ball. After scoring three runs in the first three games, here’s him getting a good score.

Live Cricket Score: India 248/3 | Overs 42 | BATSMEN: Virat Kohli 122 (124), Suresh Raina 41 (41) | Two single, one leg-bye and a six from Tahir’s over. Kohli sends the fourth ball flying over the mid-wicket for his fourth six of the innings.

Live Cricket Score: India 239/3 | Overs 41 | BATSMEN: Virat Kohli 115 (121), Suresh Raina 40 (38) | Wonderful stuff by these two batsmen. No boundaries have come off this over but still India managed nine runs. Kohli ends the Morris over with a single and that brings up the 100-run partnership.

Live Cricket Score: India 230/3 | Overs 40 | BATSMEN: Virat Kohli 112 (118), Suresh Raina 35 (35) | The order of the over goes — 0,1,1,1,4,4. Kohli gets both the boundaries. First a slice between short third-man and backward point, followed by a straight one bounce four.

Live Cricket Score: India 176/3 | Overs 33 | BATSMEN: Virat Kohli 86 (96), Suresh Raina 11 (15) | Behardien starts his over post drinks with a wide and it’s followed with six singles. Another good over for India.

Live Cricket Score: India 169/3 | Overs 32 | BATSMEN: Virat Kohli 83 (93), Suresh Raina 8 (12) | A four-run over this time from Tahir. This will probably be the last over before the drinks break. Kohli looks set for a hundred. It’s been a while since he got one.

Live Cricket Score: India 144/3 | Overs 27 | BATSMEN: Virat Kohli 65 (72), Suresh Raina 2 (3) | Steyn brought back in the attack and he strikes with the first ball. Gets Rahane to edge one to de Kock. And expectedly Suresh Raina is promoted in the line-up. He has played some great knocks at Chennai for CSK. Can he make it count? OUT! A Rahane c Q de Kock b D Steyn 45 (53)

Live Cricket Score: India 136/2 | Overs 25 | BATSMEN: Virat Kohli 61 (67), Ajinkya Rahane 43 (49) | Rahane gets a single off the fifth ball to bring up the 100-run partnership. Brilliant stuff by both these batsmen. Three runs comes off the Morris over. It’s the half way mark and India are well positioned to reach 300 from here.

Live Cricket Score: India 115/2 | Overs 21 | BATSMEN: Virat Kohli 51 (52), Ajinkya Rahane 34 (40) | Morris brought back into the attack and Kohli reaches his 35th ODI fifty with a quick single after he pushed the ball down the ground to mid-off. Rahane belts two boundaries off the fourth and fifth ball. Both the boundaries were hit behind the wickets, the first through fine-leg, while the second went through the third man region.

Live Cricket Score: India 86/2 | Overs 16 | BATSMEN: Virat Kohli 39 (42), Ajinkya Rahane 16 (17) | Imran Tahir brought into the attack and after four dot ball, he pulls one to clear mid-wicket for a six. Brilliant stuff. These two are playing South African spinners pretty comfortably.

Live Cricket Score: India 79/2 | Overs 15 | BATSMEN: Virat Kohli 32 (36), Ajinkya Rahane 17 (20) | Both Kohli and Rahane are ensuring a the scoreboard keeps moving. Another five-run over from Phangiso. Maybe that’s why Kohli should bat at No.3. He can control the proceedings.

Live Cricket Score: India 74/2 | Overs 14 | BATSMEN: Virat Kohli 28 (33), Ajinkya Rahane 16 (17) | Rahane on strike and the order of the over goes –4,1,4,1,1,1. The over saw two beautiful strokes on the off-side for boundaries. Rahane timed one between cover point and backward point for four! While off the third ball, Kohli punches one off cover point for a four. 12 off the Steyn over

Live Cricket Score: India 62/2 | Overs 13 | BATSMEN: Virat Kohli 22 (30), Ajinkya Rahane 10 (14) | Coming down the wicket, Kohli punches the ball out of the boundary. What a shot! Four singles and a six from the Phangiso over, India is slowly recovering.

Live Cricket Score: India 43/2 | Overs 10 | BATSMEN: Virat Kohli 9 (20), Ajinkya Rahane 4 (6) | Steyn is brought back into the attack. Five single off the over, two to Kohli and three to Rahane.

Live Cricket Score: India 38/2 | Overs 9 | BATSMEN: Virat Kohli 7 (17), Ajinkya Rahane 1 (3) | Three from the over. Morris now has figures of 4-0-16-1. Kohli and Rahane will have to major rebuilding if India have to post a big score. Meanwhile, Virender Sehwag has scored a hundred for Haryana, against Karnataka. WHAT A MAN!

Live Cricket Score: India 35/2 | Overs 8 | BATSMEN: Virat Kohli 6 (13), Ajinkya Rahane 0 (1) | Another good over from South Africa. Dhawan’s poor run continues. With so many catches flying around, de Kock now pouches a stunning one in the fifth ball of the eighth over. De Kock dives to his right — full stretched. The short ball does the trick for Rabada. OUT! S Dhawan c Q de Kock b K Rabada 7 (15)

Live Cricket Score: India 31/1 | Overs 7 | BATSMEN: Virat Kohli 3 (9), Shikhar Dhawan 7(14) | Two dots and single from Kohli in the first three balls and Dhawan plays three dots. Another good over from Morris. Only one from it!

Live Cricket Score: India 30/1 | Overs 6 | BATSMEN: Virat Kohli 2 (6), Shikhar Dhawan 7(11) | There was another mix-up in the third ball and on the fifth ball, Kohli attempts a pull, gloves it and de Kock almost pouches it but was just wide. Good attempt! India living dangerously after a good start.

Live Cricket Score: India 26/0 | Overs 4 | BATSMEN: Rohit Sharma 19 (15), Shikhar Dhawan 6(9) | India getting their singles and are keeping the scoreboard moving. With Rohit and Dhawan running, there’s always a run out in the cards. The fourth over two mix-ups. FOUR off the fourth ball! you don’t need to run a lot when you can play shots like that. Rohit plays another brilliant pull. Rohit keeps the strike with a single off the last ball.

Live Cricket Score: India 18/0 | Overs 3 | BATSMEN: Rohit Sharma 14(11), Shikhar Dhawan 4(7) | South Africa have already made a bowling change. Chris Morris is bowling the third over. Fourth and fifth ball of the over, Rohit play two pull over short fine-leg for boundaries. The second one was close, took Rabada’s finger tips. Nevertheless, two boundaries for Rohit.

Live Cricket Score: India 9/0 | Overs 2 | BATSMEN: Rohit Sharma 6(8), Shikhar Dhawan 3(4) | In absence of Morkel, Steyn and Rabada will have to shoulder extra responsibility. Rabada has been brilliant so far. Dhawan gets a single off him in the first ball and Rohit flicks one uppish through over square leg to register the first boundary in the match in third ball of the second over. Good over for India as seven runs come off it.

Live Cricket Score: India 2/0 | Overs 1 | BATSMEN: Rohit Sharma 1(4), Shikhar Dhawan 1(2) | Dale Steyn starts off. Rohit Sharma on strike. DOT. Drives it through the square but straight to gully. DOT. Rohit is looking positive with the way he played the first four balls. Hasn’t he been in some exceptional form since the arrival of South Africans? Gets a single off the fourth ball. A beautiful drive from Shikhar off the last bowl but well stopped at mid-off but he too gets off the mark.

TOSS: India won the toss and elected to bat. MS Dhoni has played a lot of cricket in Chennai to know the conditions well. India is playing the same side. So no Gurkeerat, guys! De Villiers says he too would have batted here. South Africa have got in left-arm spinner Aaron Phangiso and Chris Morris. Big news is that Morne Morkel isn’t playing,